It was early Monday morning in the hospital. Todd was sitting up eating his breakfast and thinking, only one more day in here, when he had a quite unexpected visitor.

"Knock knock."

"Goten?"

"Hey Todd, how are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling better thanks. I don't mean to be rude but… what are you doing here?"

"Look, I wanted to ask you something," he said coming in and sitting down on an old padded chair.

"Well, you couldn't've just called?" Todd said, looking uncomfortable.

"No, I wanted to ask you in person."

"Okay well, shoot."

"I know we haven't really ever been friends but you really think I'd set up guys to beat you up?"

"Bra told you?" Todd asked, his voice lowering in shame.

"I guessed. Bra had nothing to do with it."

"Well, I couldn't think of anyone else Bra hates as much. I didn't think I had any enemies and I couldn't think of anyone else that hates who I hang around with."

"Oh…well I wouldn't do that."

"I know that now." Todd said, embarrassed.

"What?"

"Bra wouldn't hear a word against you."

"She-she wouldn't?"

"No, she told me that you're strong enough to beat me up by yourself. I had no idea you won the title three times. I don't really keep up with those fights. Hercule wins every year."

"Yeah, he does, doesn't he? He's kind of annoying."

"You know him?" Todd asked, looking alarmed.

"Uh, he's my sister-in-law's dad."

"What?" He looked astonished.

"Yeah. So, I know him pretty well. Those tournaments are rigged every year."

"What? Then why do you compete?"

"I competed in the Junior division." Goten corrected him. "Hercule always wins Senior. He pays people off more than the prize money to let him win."

"And you never said anything?"

"Most of the insiders who know about it don't compete anymore. Like Trunks. Plus, the people there like a show and Hercule gives them what they want. If he lost, all of his sponsors would stop backing him. It's not like he doesn't have the money to pay off whoever he wants."

"I know but that doesn't make it right," Todd said disapprovingly.

"I never said it was right. I stopped competing when I was too old for Junior but that's beside the point. I came here to tell you that I have no idea who told those punks to hurt you."

"Why did you come all the way down here?" Goten looked up surprised.

"Because I wanted you to believe me."

"And you didn't think I would?"

"No, I didn't. I'm sure Bra tells you all kinds of lies about me. I wanted to come over and clear my name."

"Bra never talks about you! We only talked about you that one time and I was the one who suspected you!"

"Oh…well…that's good." He waited a long moment. "She never talks about me?"

"Never."

"Oh." Todd looked out the room's tony window for a moment.

"Hey, can I ask you something personal? I mean," he said, fumbling for his words, "you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"Sure," Goten said, preparing for the worst.

"What did you do to her?" Todd asked, sitting up straighter.

"Excuse me?"

"What did you do to her to make her hate you so much?" Todd repeated. "I mean… Marron told me you guys were really close in middle school. What happened?"

"I said no."

"What?"

"I said no to her."

"What did she ask you?"

"To be her boyfriend."

"What!" Todd asked, unbelieving. "Bra would never! She hates you!"

"Listen, you asked. A long time ago, when we first met, I told Bra I liked her but I didn't know she was dating someone. You know, it was middle school!" He said quickly, embarrassed. "Anyways, I asked her out and she said no and afterwards I found out she was dating someone else. Then I started dating Amy. She was awesome and we have a lot of fun together. Anyways, when Bra's boyfriend broke it off she came and asked me out."

"But you liked her," Todd said quickly, looking away. "Why did you say no after she broke it off with her boyfriend?" Goten's eyes flashed dangerously.

"That's not what I said. Bra told me no, that she didn't want to date me. She didn't come looking for me until after her boyfriend ditched her. I wasn't going to let her use me."

"That's not how it happened," Todd said quickly.

"Oh, it wasn't? Because now you're such an expert on it?"

"Look, I knew that guy that she was dating. He was really crushed because she broke up with him. And Bra has told me that too she just…never said anything about why she broke up with him. She never said it was for someone else."

"Well, that's not the story she told me. She said that he'd gone off with someone else and-"

"That is completely untrue!" Todd said so loudly that a passing nurse in hallway looked into their room

"It doesn't even matter," Goten said, lowering his voice. "It was so long ago and she'll never forgive me because I chose Amy over her and they used to be best friends."

"Yeah back when Amy wasn't such a jerk."

"Hey back off," Goten said, clenching his teeth. "Bra was using me. She wouldn't break up with her boyfriend for me and whatever, I get that. She was being loyal, she loved him, whatever. But then when she was single, she expected me to just ditch Amy. I care about Amy and I still do, hell, I've been dating her for three years! Bra just took it to heart, I don't know why because it was middle school but she's hated me ever since. I didn't start this hate war, she did."

"Oh…"

"Yeah, so I'd appreciate a little backing. It's not I killed a puppy or something, I just turned her down."

"Yeah, well, you know, girls…" Todd said cautiously. Goten laughed.

"Yeah," he said. "Girls…"

"Hey, it's almost seven. If you want to make it to school before first bell, you'd better get going."

Goten stuck out his hand. Todd shook it.

"You outta here soon?" Goten asked, pointing around to the tiny hospital room.

"Tomorrow."

"Then I will see you around."

"You know, I'd really like that." Todd said. Goten nodded and he left.

It was almost seven thirty and Bra was incredibly late but as she ran out to her car, she saw Marron waiting in hers. Bra climbed in. Marron jumped into explanation before Bra could even say hello.

"Trunks told me about you knowing. Sorry, you know, for yelling."

"Yeah, well I asked him and he said he didn't know anything," Bra told her getting in.

"Are you sure he wasn't lying?" Marron asked, hitting the gas.

"Look, he might be a jerk but he's a super Saiyan. If he'd really wanted Todd beaten up, he would have just done it himself. Plus, what reason would Goten have?"

"I don't know. It was Todd's theory. He just asked me not to say anything."

They drove the rest of the way with the radio blaring. But Bra wanted to talk to Marron seriously about Goten – he had kissed her, after all. If he claimed to hate her so much, he wouldn't have kissed her. She shook the old memories of him away. She shot a glance at Marron jamming to the music and tried to summon up the courage to tell her.

As they got out, they began to walk the familiar path from the parking lot to the school. As they got to the gate, someone was leaning up against it, waiting. It was Goten.

"Hey," he said in a would-be casual voice.

"What?" Marron asked, obnoxiously, sidestepping him.

"Not you," he shot at Marron. He turned to Bra. "I wanted to talk to you about our project. Alone." He added, eyeing Marron.

"Yeah, because projects are so secretive," Marron laughed.

"I'm going to be late," Bra said, even though there were ten minutes to the bell.

"Bra, wait," Goten said, but they were already walking away.

"What was that about?" Marron asked out of earshot.

"No idea," Bra said curtly.

"Is your project going bad? Me and James are almost done."

"Us too."

"Well then I wonder what's up with him."

"No idea." Marron looked over at Bra skeptically and the two went to find seats in homeroom.

That afternoon, Goten was waiting at the gate again. As they got closer, Marron pointed this out.

"Just listen to what he says," Marron suggested. "Maybe whatever he wants to tell you will let you off the hook for another meeting."

"Maybe not."

"Do you want me to wait for you?" Marron asked uncertainly as they came up to Goten.

"No, just go ahead. I'll fly home."

"Okay but don't blame me when your hair frizzes all up," Marron said laughing as she walked by Goten, flicking him off.

Goten took advantage of Marron's absence to close in immediately.

"Hey," he said, looking nervous.

"What?" She asked.

"Look, I don't know why you're so mad all of sudden but-"

"You have got to be kidding me," Bra said in a deadly whisper then she grabbed his arm and dragged him down the sidewalk until they were out of earshot of any other students.

"You don't know why I'm mad? Take a wild fucking guess!"

"You know what? It's this attitude of yours that really pisses me off!" He said, pulling his arm out of her grip. "I don't know why you hate me so much! You were using me for Christ's sake and you have the audacity to be mad at me?"

"Well if you are so pissed off at me why did you kiss me?" Bra shot. Goten flushed.

"We aren't talking about that! I'm talking about middle school!"

"Oh now you want to talk? Well, you're three years too late," she said firmly, sidestepping him but he turned just as quickly, his own retort ready.

"Okay, then, let's talk about middle school and you can explain to me what the fuck your problem is! You were dating someone else!" Goten roared.

"And I broke up with him for you! But when I came and wanted to get together with you, you said no and started dating Amy Fischer, my best friend!"

"That's not how it happened!" Goten protested.

"Yes it is!"

"No, it's not!"

"Fine then," she spat. "Believe whatever you want!" And she turned on her heel and flew off.